Climate change and human rights 'the most important game in town'?

Gradually over recent months I have become more and more convinced that tackling climate change should be the main focus of all human rights activists.

Why? Because unless we tackle climate change, we are in danger of any advances in dealing with other human rights abuses will be wiped out when the footprint of climate change is fully stamped across the world.

What's the evidence for this? Firstly the all pervasive impact of climate change on human rights. To quote from the recently published 'Climate Change and Human Rights – A Rough Guide'

…….climate change is already undermining the realisation of a broad range of internationally protected human rights: rights to health and even life;rights to food, water, shelter and property; rights associated with livelihood and culture; with migration and settlement; and with personal security in the event of conflict.

In addition the worst effects of climate change impact on the poorest, most disadvantaged, marginalised and indigenous communities.

Several years ago in an article in The Guardian, Mary Robinson ex President of Ireland and High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that

….. Climate change is a subtle form of human rights violation. There is no direct persecution or threat, but combustion of fossil fuels in industrialised nations has jeopardisedthe ability of certain societies to maintain their traditional practices, diminishingtheir cultural identity and their connection with their natural environment. Whilst responsibility is difficult to ascertain, some human rights experts, civil society organisations and indigenous peoples believe that the failure of the highest emitting nations to take action does constitute a breach of human rights law. This is a new challenge, which warrants the attention of the human rights community.

I would argue that since then climate change has moved to the top of the list of human rights priorities.

A few facts and figures to illustrate this point.

In Africa by 2020 between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. By 2020 climate change is expected to put close to an extra 50m people at risk of hunger. Globally an estimated 220 to 400 million extra people will be at risk of malaria due to climate etc etc.

Perhaps human rights organisations across the globe should be uniting with envionmental and developmental ngos and campaigning on this issue before it's too late.

Paul